Broadband power prospects and technology have closely followed the telecom industry.
With both wireless and wired communications on the rise, broadband power is looking up after a steep decline. While broadband wireless will grow at a CAGR of 95.3 percent from 2003 to 2008, after plunging steeply from $206 million in 2001 to $80 million in 2003 (iSuppli figures), wired communications will grow at CAGR of 7 percent from 2004 to 2007, in contrast with a negative CAGR of 19.1 percent during the downturn from 2000 through 2003. The whopping rise projected for communications will keep broadband power in fine fettle the next 3 to 4 years.
| The technology for power supplies used in broadband communications is driven by technologies governing power conversion and power management needs of communication devices. These needs are leading to discussions on power management silicon, with two main functions of power supply and power control. One major question being debated is whether the standard distributed power architecture (DPA) will give way to the emerging intermediate bus architecture (IBA). What implications DPA or IBA will have for the optimal control method for the regulation loop, and for general power management programmability and functional control? Is there a need for digitally controlled power (DCP)Ñthe use of ICs and software algorithms for system monitoring, internal and external communications, and power system control? | Power Supplement Articles Broadband Powering Paradigmsby Linnea C. Brush, Senior Research Analyst, Darnell Group Broadband Powering by Jack Olson, Texas Instruments Inc. Keeping Power Upby Tara L.M. Lukasik, Senior Editor, Darnell Group Power Semis Seek Surge in Broadbandby Jeff Shepard, President, Darnell Group Powering PoE Switches and Routersby Lou Pechi, Power-One Inc. |
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DCP is bringing flexibility of software programmability to the traditionally inflexible analog power control ICs and subsystems. Not all favor DCP advance. DCP rise could mean that many power IC suppliers, who get their cutting edge and profits through proprietary analog solutions, would lose their business. In any case, migration of power management to the digital realm is at a very early stage, though some believe that the rise of DCP is inevitable, because of its time-to-market advantages, ability to reduce space, and simplification of place-and-route issues that enables optimal placement for improved thermal and electrical performance.
One more issue being discussed besides the above technological issues is which type of company can best serve market needs-power system makers or semiconductor makers? While semiconductor makers are advancing power MOSFET performance, which they say is the key to meeting customer needs, system makers still seem to feel that proprietary systems are the best bet to profitability.
Broadband power is evolving from being "at the other end of customer" to being present all along the broadband link, from "the other end" through "the last mile" to customer premises. This evolution adds to the growing strength of broadband power.
